LEGENDARY SON IN LAW

THE DRAGON EMPEROR TOMB

A cold sea breeze swept across the eastern docks of Jiang City (**) as night swallowed the last traces of daylight. Rusted cargo cranes stood like silent giants above abandoned warehouses, while waves crashed against the broken harbour walls.

To ordinary people, the eastern docks were nothing more than a forgotten industrial district.

To Li Chen (**)...

It was the place where his family's fate had changed forever.

Standing on the roof of a deserted warehouse, Li Chen gazed across the harbour.

The map recovered from the Crimson Sect spy rested in his hand.

As Dragon Eyes (**) activated, the faded ink disappeared.

Golden lines slowly emerged across the parchment.

They connected every marked location in Jiang City before converging beneath the oldest warehouse at the centre of the docks.

Li Tianlong's voice echoed from within the Dragon Emperor Ring (***).

"The First Dragon Emperor Tomb is directly below."

Li Chen remained calm.

"The Crimson Sect already knows."

"Yes."

"They've searched for it for twenty years."

"But only someone carrying the Dragon Emperor Bloodline (****) can truly awaken it."

Li Chen folded the map.

"So they need me."

"Exactly."

"They don't want your life."

"They want your blood."

Before another word could be spoken, footsteps echoed across the rooftop.

Zhang Weiguo (***) arrived with two trusted bodyguards carrying several metal cases.

"Master Li."

"I brought everything you requested."

The cases were opened one after another.

Inside were satellite photographs, engineering blueprints, police investigation reports, and newspaper articles dating back more than twenty years.

Li Chen picked up the oldest document.

The headline read:

MASSIVE FIRE DESTROYS EASTERN SHIPPING DISTRICT

Official Cause: Gas Explosion

Casualties: One Hundred and Eight

Li Tianlong laughed coldly.

"Gas explosion?"

"They buried the truth well."

Li Chen continued reading.

Every witness had described hearing explosions before seeing flames.

Several survivors claimed they had seen strange lights in the sky.

Their statements had later disappeared from the official report.

The investigation had been closed within forty-eight hours.

Li Chen looked toward the old warehouse.

"So that was the final battle."

Li Tianlong nodded.

"Your parents fought there."

Li Chen's breathing slowed.

"My parents..."

"They never abandoned the Tomb."

"They stayed behind so your grandfather could escape with you."

For a moment...

Li Chen remained completely silent.

Although he had seen fragments of his family's destruction before, hearing the truth still weighed heavily on his heart.

He had never known his parents.

Now he understood why.

They had chosen death so he could live.

Zhang Weiguo carefully placed another photograph on the table.

"Our investigators found this hidden inside an old government archive."

Li Chen picked it up.

The picture showed a smiling young couple standing beside the entrance of the eastern warehouse.

Behind them stood an elderly man with long white hair.

Li Chen's pupils contracted.

His father.

His mother.

And...

Li Tianlong.

The old Dragon Emperor smiled faintly.

"That photograph was taken only three days before the war."

Li Chen looked at him.

"You were there."

"For every generation."

"I personally trained each heir of the Dragon Emperor Clan."

Li Chen carefully folded the photograph and placed it inside his pocket.

"I'll make sure their sacrifice wasn't in vain."

Suddenly...

The Dragon Emperor Ring began vibrating violently.

Golden light spread across Li Chen's hand.

Li Tianlong's expression changed.

"Someone has entered the Tomb's outer formation."

Li Chen immediately activated Dragon Eyes.

Golden spiritual energy swept across the harbour.

Beneath the warehouse...

He saw dozens of crimson lights moving underground.

"The Crimson Sect."

"They've started."

Without hesitation, Li Chen leaped from the rooftop.

Boom!

Dragon Shadow Step (***) carried him across nearly thirty metres in a single movement.

He landed silently before the abandoned warehouse.

The enormous steel doors had long ago rusted shut.

Yet...

Fresh footprints covered the dusty ground.

Someone had entered only minutes earlier.

Li Chen gently touched one footprint.

It still carried traces of black spiritual energy.

Li Tianlong spoke.

"They're elite cultivators."

"Be careful."

Li Chen pushed against the massive steel doors.

They refused to move.

Instead of forcing them open, he activated Dragon Eyes again.

Golden symbols immediately appeared across the wall.

A hidden formation.

The warehouse itself was only an illusion.

Its true entrance lay elsewhere.

Li Chen extended one finger.

Dragon Emperor Qi flowed into the formation.

The symbols suddenly rearranged themselves.

A deep rumbling echoed beneath the earth.

The entire warehouse began shaking.

Ancient golden runes appeared across the concrete floor before splitting apart.

A staircase slowly emerged from the darkness below.

Cold air rushed upward.

It carried an ancient aura unlike anything Li Chen had ever felt.

It was ancient...

Powerful...

And strangely familiar.

Li Tianlong took a deep breath.

"The Tomb has recognised your bloodline."

"It has opened."

Li Chen looked into the endless darkness beneath the warehouse.

Before he could descend—

A burst of applause echoed behind him.

"Outstanding."

Li Chen slowly turned.

Standing atop a cargo container was a tall man wearing black robes embroidered with a silver serpent.

Unlike previous enemies, he wore no mask.

His long black hair swayed gently in the night wind.

A curved black sword rested across his shoulder.

His eyes were filled with confidence.

"I've waited a long time to meet the Dragon Emperor."

Li Chen studied him calmly.

"Who are you?"

The stranger smiled.

"I am Luo Feng (**)."

"The Seventh Elder of the Black Serpent Hall."

He pointed his sword toward the open staircase.

"You've found the entrance."

"Now..."

"You only need to defeat me."

A powerful wave of dark spiritual energy erupted from his body.

The ground beneath his feet cracked instantly.

Li Tianlong's voice became unusually serious.

"Li Chen..."

"He's far stronger than anyone you've faced before."A powerful wave of dark spiritual energy swept across the abandoned docks.

The sea churned violently as Luo Feng (**), the Seventh Elder of the Black Serpent Hall (***), slowly descended from the cargo container. Every step he took left deep cracks in the concrete, and the black sword resting on his shoulder emitted a sinister aura that seemed to devour the surrounding light.

Li Chen (**) stood before the newly opened entrance to the Dragon Emperor Tomb.

Behind him lay the inheritance of his ancestors.

Before him stood the first true master he had encountered since awakening the Dragon Emperor Bloodline (****).

Li Tianlong's voice echoed from within the Dragon Emperor Ring (***).

"Don't underestimate him."

"He's at the Peak Foundation Realm."

"You're only at the Early Foundation Realm."

Li Chen remained calm.

"Can I defeat him?"

There was a brief silence.

"Not through raw strength."

"But the Dragon Emperor never relied on strength alone."

Luo Feng smiled.

"It seems your spirit mentor is giving you advice."

Li Chen's eyes narrowed.

"You can sense him?"

Luo Feng laughed.

"No."

"But every Dragon Emperor heir speaks to himself before dying."

With a sudden burst of speed, Luo Feng disappeared.

Boom!

The black sword slashed downward.

Li Chen activated Dragon Shadow Step (***) at the last moment.

The blade struck the ground.

An explosion shattered the concrete, leaving a trench nearly ten metres long.

Before Li Chen could counterattack, Luo Feng's fist crashed into his chest.

Bang!

Li Chen was thrown backwards, smashing through the wall of the warehouse.

Dust filled the air.

Zhang Weiguo (***) watched from a safe distance with his bodyguards.

His face turned pale.

"Master Li..."

The bodyguards instinctively reached for their weapons.

"Chairman, should we help?"

"No."

Zhang Weiguo shook his head.

"We'd only get in his way."

Inside the collapsed warehouse, Li Chen slowly stood.

A trace of blood appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Luo Feng walked through the broken wall with a confident smile.

"So this is the Dragon Emperor?"

"I expected more."

Li Chen wiped away the blood.

"You're stronger than the others."

"Of course."

"The insects you've fought until now were merely servants."

"I am one of the Seven Elders."

"The Holy Maiden entrusted this mission to me personally."

Li Chen tightened his grip.

Golden dragon energy surged through his meridians.

The Dragon Emperor Ring began glowing brighter than ever before.

Li Tianlong suddenly spoke.

"Li Chen..."

"Open the Ring."

Li Chen was surprised.

"Now?"

"Immediately."

Without hesitation, Li Chen sent his consciousness into the Dragon Emperor Ring.

The endless golden palace trembled.

One of the massive stone dragon statues lining the hall slowly opened its eyes.

A deep voice echoed through the palace.

"First Trial Accepted."

The dragon statue opened its mouth.

A beam of golden light shot into Li Chen's forehead.

Outside...

Li Chen's body became wrapped in a pillar of brilliant golden light.

Luo Feng's smile disappeared.

"What is this?"

Ancient dragon scales briefly appeared across Li Chen's arms before fading beneath his skin.

Countless cultivation techniques flashed through his mind.

Finally...

One remained.

Dragon Emperor Fist (***).

Li Tianlong smiled.

"You've received your first true inheritance."

Li Chen slowly opened his eyes.

Golden dragon patterns rotated within his pupils.

The spiritual pressure surrounding him doubled.

Luo Feng frowned.

"So you've broken through."

"Interesting."

"But it changes nothing."

He roared and unleashed his full cultivation.

Dark serpent-shaped Qi surrounded his sword as he charged once more.

"Black Serpent Heaven s***h!"

A gigantic black blade of spiritual energy tore through the air.

The earth split apart.

Li Chen calmly stepped forward.

Golden Qi gathered around his right fist.

The image of an ancient golden dragon appeared behind him.

He spoke only four words.

"Dragon Emperor Fist."

Boom!

His punch collided with the black blade.

For a brief moment...

The entire harbour fell silent.

Then—

An earth-shaking explosion erupted.

Golden and black spiritual energy clashed violently, sending shockwaves across the docks.

The sea rose into towering waves.

Cargo containers were thrown into the air like toys.

The black blade shattered into thousands of fragments.

Luo Feng's eyes widened in disbelief.

"My technique..."

"Impossible!"

Li Chen appeared before him in an instant.

Dragon Shadow Step.

Before Luo Feng could react—

Bang!

Li Chen's fist struck his chest.

A loud c***k echoed through the battlefield.

Luo Feng spat out a mouthful of blood as he was hurled across the harbour, crashing into a rusted crane.

The massive steel structure collapsed with a deafening roar.

Smoke and dust filled the air.

Several moments later...

Luo Feng staggered to his feet.

His armour was shattered.

His sword had broken in half.

He looked at Li Chen with fear for the first time.

"The Dragon Emperor..."

"So the legends were true."

Li Chen walked forward calmly.

"Tell me."

"Who ordered the destruction of my clan?"

Luo Feng laughed weakly.

"You still don't understand."

"The Holy Maiden..."

"...is only a servant."

Li Chen stopped.

"What did you say?"

Luo Feng's smile became even more mysterious.

"The one who destroyed your family..."

"...has slept beneath this city for twenty years."

Li Tianlong's expression changed drastically.

"No..."

"It can't be."

Before Li Chen could ask another question, Luo Feng crushed a crimson crystal hidden in his palm.

His body was instantly swallowed by black flames.

"No!"

Li Chen rushed forward.

But it was too late.

Within seconds, Luo Feng's body turned to ash.

Only his broken half of the black serpent sword remained on the ground.

Li Chen picked it up.

As his Dragon Emperor Qi entered the weapon, hidden words appeared along the blade.

"When the Blood Moon becomes whole... the Dragon King shall awaken."

At that exact moment...

The staircase leading into the Dragon Emperor Tomb began glowing with brilliant golden light.

A deep dragon roar echoed from beneath the earth.

The ancient gates slowly opened by themselves.

An overwhelming aura burst from the darkness.

Li Tianlong's voice trembled.

"The Tomb is calling you."

"But remember..."

"The greatest danger isn't outside."

"It's waiting within."

Li Chen looked into the endless darkness beyond the ancient gates.

He had defeated his strongest enemy yet.

But instinct told him that the true battle was only beginning.

Without another word, he stepped through the gates of the Dragon Emperor Tomb.

Behind him...

The stone doors slowly closed.

The Seventh Elder smiled coldly.

"Come."

"Let me see whether the last Dragon Emperor is worthy of entering his ancestors' tomb."